Grahams Melody Hits the High Note at Royal Welsh Show

As is usual for late July all roads in Wales led
to the showground at Llanelwedd, Builth Wells for this year’s Royal Welsh
Show.

As the show got underway for the last time before the UK leaves
the European Union it welcomed some high profile guests. Cabinet
Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs Lesley
Griffiths undertook over 40 events at the show, hailing the event as a
key moment in the national conversation on the future support
for farmers in Wales. The last day of the show saw a visit from
Prime Minister Theresa May, who set out the UK Governments plans
for a post-brexit farming policy.

Grahams Melody

These visits clearly demonstrate that agriculture maintains its
place at the heart of the Royal
Welsh show and supporting this
livestock entries were very strong. Once again, Limousin
cattle presented the largest cohort of any breed on the showground.

The weather on day one of the show delivered spectacular sunshine
to match the dazzling display of cattle from the Limousin breeders
who had descended on the mid-Wales countryside. It was left to
Mr Gary
Swindlehurst, Farm Manager at Proctors Farm, Slaidburn,
Clitheroe to sweat it out in the cattle ring as he deliberated
over his judgments in the Limousin classes.

Having taken the honours as the Best Female exhibit, Mr Swindlehurst
tapped out the stylish heifer Grahams
Melody from Robert
and Jean Graham of Airthrey Kerse Dairy Farm, Bridge of Allan, Stirling
as the Champion Limousin. This marks a splendid achievement for
the two-year old heifer that came to Builth Wells having been crowned
Overall Champion Limousin and Reserve Interbreed Champion at the
Great Yorkshire Show earlier in July. Currently in calf to Goldies
Jackpot, in addition to the triumph at the Yorkshire Show she also
featured in the prizes at this year’s Royal Highland Show and did
very well through 2017 as a youngster. An embryo calf by Ampertaine
Elgin, Melody is out of the highly successful Millbrook
Gingerspice.
She is full sister to Grahams
Michael, also a winner on the show
circuit in 2017, who sold at Carlisle in October 2017 for 20,000gns
and to Grahams
Malibu who made 25,000gns last December at the Red
Ladies Sale.

In commenting on his Champion Mr Swindlehurst said;
“Melody is
a sweet stylish heifer with real presence and she just oozed quality
in the ring” he added “she has the ‘look’, correct and well balanced
in every way”. Mr Swindlehurst went onto give praise to all the
other Limousin exhibitors. Amid what was a stunning display of
cattle, he said “Thanks must be given to all the exhibitors for
turning their cattle out in such style, there were many tough decisions
to make”

Melody’s triumph in Wales rounds off a spectacular summer for
the Graham team on the ‘major’ show circuit completing a hat-trick
of Breed Championships for the herd. In addition to Melody’s success
in Wales, the Graham’s also took the Best Junior Heifer accolade
with Grahams Niaomi who was the Breed and Interbreed Champion at
the Highland Show earlier in the year. This January 2017 born maiden
heifer, by the well-known Claragh
Franco and out of Grahams
Coffee,
will be for sale at Red Ladies Day at Borderway Market, Carlisle
in December. Speaking about the latest achievement Robert Graham
said;
“Once again the whole team is absolutely delighted with Melody’s
success, I am almost running out of things to say in giving her
praise” he added “from a youngster she has always been a stand
out animal and as Gary saw today, she has tremendous presence and
style in the show ring”.

Later on in the afternoon Melody was tapped out as Reserve in
the Individual Interbreed Championship when she came before Judge
Christine
Williams who together with Paul Tippetts runs the Wilodge
Limousin Herd at Shifnal, Shropshire.

Overall Reserve Champion Limousin went to Foxhillfarm Minesagin
who had stood second to Melody in the Overall Female Championship.
Another heifer coming to Wales on the back of success over the
summer; Minesagin picked up an array of honours at the Highland
show including Reserve Overall Breed Champion plus she was a member
of the Junior Group Interbreed winning Team of Four at the Great
Yorkshire Show. Home-bred by Mike
and Melanie Alford, Cullompton,
Devon, the September 2016 born heifer is by the world-record priced
Trueman
Jagger and out of Foxhillfarm Justtheone. She went onto
claim the Junior Heifer Interbreed Championship on the second day
of the show when she came before Judge Gareth James, Tufton.

The Alford family had more success in the Limousin judging with
their 14-month old heifer Foxhillfarm Naomi who stood as Reserve
Junior Heifer to Grahams Niaomi and took the award for the Best Exhibitor
Bred Maiden Heifer born in 2017. Foxhillfarm Naomi, home-bred out
of Foxhillfarm Isla, is another young Trueman Jagger daughter to
have already dazzled in the show ring, she was tapped out as Reserve
Junior Limousin Champion in Harrogate earlier in July.

Top male honours in the Limousin judging went to the Best Junior
Bull in the shape of Seisiog Ned from Tecwyn
Jones. The May 2017
born young bull, by Elite Forever Brill and out of Goldies Infinity,
gave Tecwyn his first ever win at Llanelwedd with a homebred pedigree
Limousin from his small two-cow herd at Ty Newydd, Nebo.

Standing as Overall Reserve Male to Tecwyn’s Ned was home-bred Pabo
Netherhall from Anglesey breeders Peredur
and Llyr Hughes. By Netherhall
Jackpot, an embryo calf out of Llyr’s Pabo Icemaden, Netherhall then
took his place alongside full brother Pabo Nero to secure the Limousin
Pairs title.

The red rosettes for the Best Group of Three went to the Alford
team of Foxhillfarm Minesagin, Naomi and April 2017 born Napoleon,
a Foxhillfarm Jasper son out of Glenrock
Illusion. Napoleon was Reserve
Junior Male at Stirling’s 2017 Stars of the Future Calf show and
stood as Reserve Junior Bull at the Royal Highland show in May.

From a strong base the Limousin breed was again well to the fore
in the other Interbreed competitions culminating with taking the
red rosettes in the prestigious Team of Five Championship. With Foxhillfarm
Jasper from A W Jenkinson Farms at the helm, two heifers from the
Foxhillfarm cohort, Minesagin and Madonna teamed up with Grahams
Melody and the August 2016 born Dinmore Madonna from Paul Dawes to
make an impressive line-up. Judged by Mr R J Irvine of White Cross,
Armagh, Northern Ireland the imposing Limousin team came into the
ring looking every bit the favourites. Limousins have been victorious
in this class at the Royal Welsh every year bar one since 2014. In
what can be described as a gladiatorial atmosphere under the intense
sunshine, the large crowds gathered to see the Judge tap the Limousin
team out as champions and the very popular Welsh
Black team into
Reserve.

Limousins triumphed in both Exhibitor Interbreed Team Championships
with line-ups from the Foxhillfarm and Calogale stables. Again judged
by Mr Irvine from Northern Ireland the winning Exhibitor Bred pair
team of Foxhillfarm Madonna and Minesagin made a superbly balanced
duo.

The sash went to Wales in the Exhibitor Owned Team of Three Championship
as Gareth Lee and Catrin Lloyd took the top spot with their threesome
home-bred at Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, Calogale Nightingale, Majestic
and Ninja.

More great news followed for Gareth and Catrin, at the Club social
gathering in the evening they were presented with the LBV Thomas
award for the Best Exhibitor Bred Female, owned by a breeder residing
in Wales, for Calogale Nightingale. The January 2017 born heifer,
which had come second in her class in the Limousin judging to Grahams
Niaomi, is yet another Trueman Jagger daughter, this time out of
Trueman Florence.

On the final day of the show, Limousins continued
to hit the high note, this time in the shape of an impressive duo
of Madonnas. Dinmore Madonna and Foxhillfarm Madonna were triumphant
in the Females of the Future Pairs Championship. Dinmore Madonna,
a Jagger daughter out of the Sympa daughter Ampertaine
Estelle came
to The Royal Welsh having taken the Limousin Championship and Beef
Interbreed Championship at the recent Royal Three Counties Show.

In other successes at the show, the Edwards family from Landovery,
Carmarthenshire took first place in the Agri Lloyd Elite Junior Bull
Championship with their April 2017 born home bred bull Dyfri Nolan.
To be eligible to compete bulls must have a Signet Beef Value or
corresponding Breedplan Index greater than the breed average. Home
bred, he is by Fenomen out of Dyfri Golud. This is the second year
on the trot that Fenomen has sired this Championship winner. Fenemon
was imported from France, where his figures placed him in the upper
echelons of the breed, after winning at the 2014 National Show in
Limoges. He has since worked as the principal stock bull in the joint
owner’s herds at Scorboro and Dyfri. He is known as an exceptionally
correct and sound bull, with great muscularity and length.

Standing Reserve was March 2017 born Calogale Ninja who is the same
way bred as his team of three companion Calogale Nightingale, by
Trueman Jagger and out of Trueman Florence.

In the highly competitive Commercial Championship, as would be expected,
Limousin genetics dominated throughout the entire judging session,
which was overseen by Mr Colin
Soutter, Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The majority
of the cattle he tapped into winning spot in the classes featured
Limousins as either sire or dam. Champion steer came from Miss Charlotte
Alford, Cullompton, Devon in the shape of No Likey, a 13-month old
Limousin sired exhibit out of a Limousin cross cow bred by D E and
G Davies.

When it came to the Supreme Championship Judging in the commercial
contest, it was a clean sweep for Limousins as Mr Soutter first awarded
the Baby Beef Champion Rambo, a November 2017 born Limousin sired
steer home bred by Tecwyn Jones the Supreme Championship sash. An
11-month old Limousin heifer, Scarlet from Morgan and Jones, Llandovery,
Carmarthenshire took the Reserve spot.

It was fantastic to see a number of Limousin young handlers competing
for the Interbreed Young Handler Championship. The breeders of the
future, such competitions give them the opportunity to showcase their
stockmanship to the fullest. Archie Hill from Cheddar, Somerset and
Elliw Roberts from Anglesey were victorious in front of Judge Mrs
Carole
Rettie from Alloa, Clackmannanshire.